The Common Ground
by landslide-state-of-mind
Summary: Beca finds herself leaning on Chloe and Aubrey for support during a rough time. The friendship between Aubrey and Beca unexpectedly changes and they begin to grow closer in a way that nobody had imagined, let alone the two of them. Mitchsen endgame, probably going to hit M in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

_So this is going to be Mitchsen endgame. And it's not going to have any Bechloe/Chaubrey relationship aspects at all, purely friendship. I'm not writing this as a triple treble, or a combination of pairs, i'm just aiming for Mitchsen friendship into Mitchsen relationship. That being said, I'm not going to abandon the Bechloe fic (That Thing You Do), or Chaubrey fic (Lovers In Pittsburgh) that I'm writing. But now that I'm juggling all that (and the freakin Bechloe & Chaubrey oneshots in my WIP folder), we'll see how I go with updates._

* * *

The brunette was withdrawn, even for her. She barely made eye contact with any of them during rehearsal. Chloe knew it was bad when she wouldn't even argue with Aubrey, even when the blonde had left the opening there. When Aubrey called practice off, Chloe rushed to grab Beca and pull her aside, even though she'd made a beeline for the door immediately.

"Bec," Chloe said, taking her by the wrist. "Hang on for a sec." Beca's shoulders slumped, but she stopped.

"What?" she asked. Chloe saw the dark circles under her already dark eyes. She looked tired.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You seem… off." Beca just looked at her and ran a hand through her hair absently. Chloe could see wheels turning in her brain. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but closed it again. She shrugged.

"Fine," she said noncommittally. Chloe raised her eyebrows in concern.

"Well… okay. But I hope you know that if there is something wrong, you can talk to me," she said. Beca just tugged at the strap of her backpack.

"Yeah okay, whatever," she said. "Look, I gotta go." Chloe relinquished her arm and Beca slunk off toward her dorm.

"What was that about?" Aubrey asked, coming over.

"I don't know. She seems really down, but she said nothing was wrong," Chloe said. "She was lying, obviously. But I can't make her open up to me."

"You offered though, Chlo," Aubrey said. "And that's all you can do, sometimes." Chloe didn't look too pleased with that, but she didn't have a choice. She turned and helped Aubrey tidy up so they could go back to their dorm.

Chloe tried to call Beca three times during the next day, and each time the call went unanswered. So did the flood of texts she'd sent. She debated going to the other girls' dorm, such was her concern for the freshman.

"I've never seen you this worried before," Aubrey said.

"I've never seen Beca like this before," Chloe said. "I know everyone thinks she's this super-repressed, snarky, closed off bitch. But with me, she's not. And she's just completely shut down. So yeah, I'm worried about her, Bree." Aubrey looked at her carefully.

"I'll come with you," she said. "We'll check her dorm and the radio station." They walked quickly around campus, not able to find the brunette anywhere. They returned to Beca's dorm and knocked again.

"Oh." Kimmy Jin opened the door. "She's still not here."

"I figured," Chloe said. "It's just – I'm really worried about her. If you hear from her, please, can you tell her to call me or Aubrey?" Kimmy Jin just gave her a cool stare, but nodded her head a fraction. They went back to their room, where Aubrey pulled out some homework. Chloe didn't even try to study, she just sat on her bed and constantly checked her phone. Aubrey gave up on her study after ten minutes and dropped onto Chloe's bed. The redhead sank against her shoulder.

"I'm sure she'll turn up," Aubrey said. "I know she's important to you." Chloe knew what she meant. Everyone had it in their head that Chloe and Beca had a thing for each other, but it wasn't like that at all. Chloe thought Beca was interesting, because she wasn't like anyone she'd ever met. The two of them talked about everything under the sun – including the fact that despite everyone's assumptions, they were friends and nothing more.

"It's not like that, Bree," Chloe said, sighing. "I'm not in love with her, she's not in love with me. We're friends."

"Okay," Aubrey said. "I'm not surprised that you care about her this much. I mean, you always take good care of me." They sat there for the better part of the evening, Chloe still worrying about Beca. Aubrey thought about the brunette, because sure – Chloe made friends pretty easily, and her idea of personal boundaries was seriously invisible – but she was really invested in Beca. And someone Chloe cared about that much might be worth reconsidering. And worrying about. It wasn't that she had completely dismissed Beca, she just never thought that they had anything in common. Except that Chloe was their best friend.

It was after nine o'clock when they were roused from their quiet slump by a knock on their door. Chloe looked up at Aubrey. "You expecting anyone?" The blonde shook her head. Chloe got up and opened the door, revealing a clearly not-okay Beca. Her eye makeup was smudged and runny, doing nothing to conceal the red eyes, not that she was trying to. If at all possible, she looked more tired than yesterday.

"Jesus, Beca, get in here," Chloe said, pulling her into a hug. "What happened?"

"I hope your offer to talk is still valid," she mumbled, dropping her backpack on the floor. "Because I really can't do this anymore. I'm going crazy. I haven't slept in god knows how long."

"Of course," Chloe said. Aubrey began to move, to give them privacy.

"I'll go the library for a few hours," she said. Chloe led Beca to the bed, where she dropped heavily onto the mattress.

"It's okay," Beca said. "You can stay. Chloe trusts you, I guess, so I can too." Aubrey looked uncertain, but stayed at the head of the bed. She reached over and took a box of tissues from the desk and tossed it to Chloe.

"What's going on?" Chloe asked. "Is this about Jesse?"

"Nothing remotely like that," Beca said. "I – I don't talk about this, so you'll have to give me a sec." She took a deep breath and stared down at her hands, surveying the chipped black polish. They waited for a minute or two.

"It's my mom," Beca began. "I haven't told anybody here this. But my mom died. That's why I'm here in Barden. Because she got cancer and three months later, she was gone."

"Oh Beca," Chloe murmured, pulling the brunette in for another hug. Beca stayed leaned against Chloe's side.

"And you think you've dealt with that. Like, you go to the funeral, and you see a therapist, and the therapist tells you you're fine and it's normal to be upset and angry and fucking despondent and closed off. So you move to your dad's, enroll in college and try to keep on going. But in three days, it'll be a whole year since she's been gone, and I miss her like it was fucking _yesterday_, and all I want is for her to be alive," she ranted. "I just want to be able to call her and tell her that I actually kind of like college, and acapella, and we'll make a joke about whoever Taylor Swift is dating even though we both actually think she writes a catchy song, and during break I want to just catch a flight home to Portland where she'll be sitting in our house, on the couch that my dad fucking hated but we secretly loved because it was just big enough for the two of us to squish into. But she's gone and I can't, and everything just feels… really fucking wrong. And I feel like an idiot for letting it get to me this much, but it does. And I just need someone to understand how this…." She was crying again, and so was Chloe. Aubrey was also crying, freely, and Chloe met her eyes.

Neither of them had ever heard Beca speak about her mother, and obviously the reason why was becoming clear. Chloe hated that her friend was going through this and felt so alone. There was nothing she was going to be able to say that would even begin to console Beca. But Aubrey could. Because Aubrey knew exactly what Beca was feeling, Chloe saw it in the way Aubrey looked at the younger girl and bit her lip. She shuffled down and sat on the other side of Beca. She reached a hand out and placed it on Beca's knee. That Aubrey would even voluntarily comfort someone other than Chloe was a marvel in itself. That Beca didn't freak out or flinch was equally amazing. Aubrey began to talk in a low, comforting voice. She was hunched down next to Beca's ear.

"You just need someone to understand that even though it's been a year, the ache doesn't fade. It doesn't get easier. Because every little thing reminds you of her, by accident, reminds you of the bond you had. And you feel horrible because you know she'd want you to keep on living. To be happy. But you don't see how that's an option because all you feel are the millions of reminders that without her, the world is just wrong. It's upside down, it's perverse, it isn't anything close to good. There is no happiness. There is no joy. There is just the way things should be, but aren't, even though you'd trade anything in the world for just one more day, one more hour, one minute, one second," she said. Beca looked up at her. She was still crying, but not the same body-convulsing sobs. Aubrey's tears were falling silently, and Beca slowly took her hand. Aubrey squeezed it hard, trying to somehow show that she knew what Beca was feeling.

"I was fourteen," Aubrey half-whispered. "And she was everything to me. But she was gone in a heartbeat, in an accident. Car. The world stopped. Still feels like it's some weird alternate universe without her here. Even eight years on."

"When does it stop hurting?" Beca asked, voice breaking on the words.

"If I find out, I'll let you know," Aubrey said.

"I never figured I'd hurt this much in my life," Beca said.

"Nobody figures on it," Aubrey said. "It just happens. Have you talked to your dad about it?"

"I tried, once," Beca said. "He changed the subject when Sheila walked into the room." Chloe seethed to herself.

"I'm sorry, Beca," Aubrey said. "About your mom." Beca's phone began to ring in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw that it was her dad, then let it fall to the carpet.

"I can't talk to him. He's been calling for hours," she said.

"Want me to talk to him?" Chloe said. "I'll just tell him you're here, and you're okay." Beca nodded, so Chloe bent down and picked up her phone.

"Beca's phone," she said. She listened to whatever Dr Mitchell was saying. "No, she's here with me and Aubrey, she's just in the bathroom. We were marathoning One Tree Hill and got caught up." She listened again.

"What do you mean?" she asked. She stood up, and Beca fell against Aubrey's side now, both of them watching as Chloe excused herself and went outside. All they heard was "I think you'll find-"

"She's got her attitude voice on," Aubrey said.

"Mmm," Beca said. Aubrey gingerly wrapped her arm around the smaller girl, who was still wiping at her face with the tissue.

"Look, I know we don't, you know, talk. But we can, if you want. Whenever you like. Or we can not talk. Whatever," Aubrey said. "Whatever you need. " There was a silence.

"Thanks," Beca said softly. They just sat there and waited for Chloe to return, Aubrey slowly rubbing the brunette's back. The ass-chewing obviously was a good one, because the redhead was gone for about ten minutes. By the time she returned, Beca was asleep, a dead weight against Aubrey's body. Chloe looked furious when she entered, but when she saw Beca her features softened.

"Oh," Chloe said softly. "She looks so tired. I don't really wanna wake her."

"What was that with her dad?" Aubrey asked. Chloe looked disgusted.

"That man is a moron," she said. "He said he thought she'd gotten over all this petty stuff with Sheila and him being together and I kind of read him the riot act. Without getting too specific. He was pretty stunned."

"I'm sure he was," Aubrey said. "So. Let's set Beca up in your bed and we'll share." It wasn't the first time the two had shared, even a single, and it probably wouldn't be the last. Chloe gently began pulling the covers back and Aubrey laid Beca down on the bed. Chloe unlaced her heavy boots and tucked her in.

"Think she'll mind sleeping in jeans?" Chloe worried.

"I don't think she'll care, because she's actually getting some sleep. Look at her, she's out like a light." Beca was breathing deep and even, completely stilled by the fatigue that had been following her for days. Aubrey and Chloe quickly changed and crawled into Aubrey's bed.

"I'm glad you were here with me for that," Chloe said. "I had no idea what to say to her. I don't know what that's like. I think you put her at ease."

"As much as one can be at ease in such a situation," Aubrey said. "The next few days are likely to be very rough on her, Chlo. We should watch out for her."

"We?"

"Well, yeah," Aubrey said. "I promised to be here if she needed me."

"Thanks Bree," Chloe said. "It means a lot to me that you would reach out to her. And I'm sure that it means a lot to her too." Chloe fell silent and Aubrey could tell she was drifting off to sleep. But it eluded Aubrey; she spent hours lying there thinking about her own mother, about how she felt after she died for years, about how Beca must be feeling. Eventually she began mentally reciting passages of legislation to herself to shut her brain down, and she fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

When morning came, Aubrey was the first awake. Her body clock woke her daily at six am, regardless of how little sleep she might have had the night before. Chloe would wake up soon enough, but Beca was still completely asleep, her body obviously catching up on what it had missed. Aubrey didn't think she'd even moved since they tucked her in last night.

Her morning routine was a jog and coffee before a shower, so she quietly got up and changed, slipping out of the dorm without waking the other occupants. She ran ten miles, same as every other morning, and stopped to grab her morning coffee. Her phone buzzed from her armband – Chloe was requesting coffee as well. She bought two of Chloe's favorite, figuring that if Beca woke up soon she might want some caffeine in her bloodstream.

She carefully carried the cardboard tray back to their dorm, where Chloe had come back from the showers and was getting ready for her first class, but Beca was still sleeping soundly. Her makeup was smudged dark around her eyes and on Chloe's pillowcase, but she looked peaceful and still. Aubrey handed Chloe her caramel-vanilla half caf with cream and put the other on her desk.

"She's barely moved since last night," Chloe said softly. "She's in for a rough few days."

"She is," Aubrey said. "I had a full day of Bellas rehearsals planned for Saturday but I'm going to cancel it. She's not going to be in any state to do a full day, and she's going to need you."

"And you," Chloe said. "Because I've never done this. And I think she kind of responded to you last night. If you're up for it, of course."

"It explains a lot," Aubrey said. "About why she doesn't let people in, why she keeps everyone an appropriate distance away." Beca began to shift in the bed, and mumbled sleepily before sitting up.

"Where am I?" she asked. She rubbed her face with her hand and saw Aubrey and Chloe. "Oh. Um, hi."

"Hey," Chloe said. She gestured to the desk. "Bree bought coffee."

"Thanks," Beca said. Chloe passed her the cup. "And – uh – thanks for last night, as well. Both of you."

"Any time," Chloe said. "We're glad you came to us. And we're happy you managed to get some sleep."

"How long was I asleep for?" she asked, drinking some of the coffee. "Dude, sugary."

"I just got you the same as Chloe's. You crashed at about ten last night," Aubrey said. "So ten hours. Feel a bit better?"

"I don't feel like a zombie, so yes," Beca said. "Sorry for stealing your bed Chloe." Chloe waved a hand at her in dismissal.

"What time do you have classes today?" the redhead asked.

"Not til one," she said. "I've got time to go back to my room and shower and whatever." Chloe nodded.

"Um… I should probably tell you that I had a fight with your dad on the phone yesterday," she admitted. "He thought you were upset about Sheila so I told him that he was being ridiculous if he thought something like that would be upsetting you this much."

"What else did you tell him?" Beca asked.

"I said that if he couldn't figure out what was upsetting you so much then he was a crappy excuse for a dad, but that I wouldn't tell him because I was more interested in keeping the promise I made to you about keeping what we talk about to ourselves. He probably doesn't like me very much." Beca smiled a little.

"Thanks," she said. "I'll call him later or go see him I guess. I just knew that yesterday I was in no position to have that conversation with him. I was so exhausted I probably would have said or done something dumb." Chloe suddenly caught sight of the time.

"Crapballs, I'm running late," she said. "Ugh. Becs, stay as long as you need. And if you want me to come with you to see your dad, call me. And if you need anything at all…"

"I know, Chlo. Thanks." The redhead kissed her on the top of the head, stuck a few more things in her bag, picked up her coffee and darted out the door. Beca took another drink of the coffee. "How does she drink this all the time?"

"I have no idea," Aubrey said. "I'm a black kind of girl, or very rarely, latte with no sugar."

"I'm a white with an extra shot kind of girl myself," Beca said. "No point tainting coffee with this much sugar. Though I can feel the sugar running through my veins. I don't remember how much I've eaten in the past few days." Aubrey smiled and shook her head.

"I have to take a shower," she said. "But I don't have a class today til two thirty. If you want, you can go back to your room and clean up and we can have something to eat?"

"Yeah… okay," Beca said. "That's a good idea. Um, I'll text you once I'm done?"

"Deal," Aubrey said. "But you might want to do something about your impressive raccoon eyes before you leave." Beca stood up and peered in the mirror.

"Wow. That's terrifying," she said. Aubrey found some makeup remover and handed it to Beca.

"Alright, Rocky. Text me. I gotta shower, I smell like… I dunno, but I'm sure it's gross."

"Sure." Aubrey gathered a few things together and disappeared down the hall to the showers.

Beca had texted Aubrey about an hour later to meet her at the sandwich place near the English block. When she got to the café, Beca was sitting outside, perched behind her laptop with sunglasses on. She pushed the glasses up on top of her head when she saw Aubrey. Hitting a few keys to save her work, she closed her laptop and moved it to the side.

"Hey," Aubrey said. "Homework?"

"Mix," Beca said. "It's been floating around in my brain for a few days. Some of mom's favorite songs."

"I'd love to hear it when you're done," Aubrey said. "What kind of music was your mom into?"

"Everything," Beca said plainly. "Mom is how I got into music. She had the best collection of music ever. At night when I'd finished my homework we'd lay on the floor in the den and listen to record after record and talk about it. Like, talk about the Rumours album and wonder if all the things people have said about those songs are true. Or wonder if modern music is going to be able to deliver the same kinds of vocals as older music – like Etta James' At Last, or Eva Cassidy's God Bless The Child - because now there's so much you can do to a voice after it's recorded now, so do people still try as hard?"

"That sounds like an interesting way to pass the night."

"And when my dad left us, I was twelve, our house was never without music. We used it to fill the obvious hole. At first they were sad songs. But then they became happy songs. Because we still had each other, and music. So we'd play everything over and over. Motown on a Monday. Disco on Saturday mornings while we cleaned the house. Jazz and soul in the evenings when it was rainy. Or rock and folk when it was warm," Beca continued. "It was weird, most of the kids at school talked about what shows they watched or movies, but I never really did any of that. And I don't feel like I missed out on anything, I feel like they did."

"I think I would have liked your mom," Aubrey said. Beca's eyes focused on a figure behind the blonde.

"Everybody liked my mom," she sighed.

"Beca? What are you looking at?" Aubrey questioned.

"Oh, my dad's coming," she said. "He's seen us."

"Do you want me to give you guys a minute?" she asked.

"No, I think I'd rather you stayed," Beca said. Aubrey nodded, and Dr Mitchell arrived at the table a moment later.

"Beca," he said. "And…"

"Dad, Aubrey Posen," she said. "She's the captain of the Bellas."

"Nice to meet you Dr Mitchell," she said. "I don't believe I've taken any of your classes, but I have seen you around campus."

"What's your major?"

"Law," she replied.

"Beca, I think we need to talk about last night," he said. Beca gestured for him to sit down.

"I got an earful from your friend Chloe," he said. "Can you maybe tell me what's going on?"

"Um," she said. She looked at Aubrey who nodded. "Okay. I've been having a real rough time because on Saturday it'll be a whole year since mom-" She took a deep breath.

"Oh shit," he said. "Beca I'm an idiot. It'll be a year since she passed away. I had no idea it was a year already. I'm sorry."

"I mean, it hasn't really been easy for me," she said. "This whole year. Because Sheila wants to murder me every time I say her name, but dad – I need to talk about her. I have to. I can't sit on how much this hurts because then I end up like last night."

"What happened last night?" he said. Aubrey looked at Beca and saw that she was fighting back tears again. She put a hand on her knee under the table again, and felt the smaller girl clutch it.

"Um, Mr Mitchell, Beca knocked on our door sometime after nine last night. She hadn't slept or eaten in days, and Chloe and I had noticed and said that if she needed anything to come to us. She's been struggling trying to find someone she can talk to about her mom," she said. "And it's not a comment on you, sir, but she doesn't feel like she can come to you because Sheila's made it pretty clear that she doesn't like to hear about her. But it's okay, because she came to us. And Chloe and I are happy to be there for her."

"I'm sorry you feel like that Beca," he said. "But you can honestly come to me when you're upset about anything. I know I wasn't there for you for a long time and I want to be available to you."

"No offense, dad," Beca said, "But Chloe and Aubrey really helped. Chloe, well I tell everything to her. I don't know how she does that, she just makes me feel like I could tell her anything. And Bree, well… she knows what I'm going through."

"You lost your mother, Aubrey?" he asked gently.

"When I was fourteen, sir," Aubrey replied. Beca fidgeted nervously.

"So, that's about all I can say about that," she said. "I'm obviously still having a hard time, but it's gonna be okay, I think." Mr Mitchell looked at the both of them for a moment.

"Okay then. I'm glad to hear it," he said. "But Beca, don't forget that I always have time for you." She nodded and the man got up and made his way in the opposite direction. Beca let out a sigh and bent her head down to the table.

"You okay?" Aubrey asked.

"That was actually less painful than I imagined," she said. "But any conversation we have that is beyond surface level just feels so awkward. And with mom I could talk about anything."

"God you should sit in on the Posen family dinner one time," Aubrey said. "You don't know the meaning of awkward." Beca quirked an eyebrow.

"Seriously?"

"Colonel Posen. Then my two brothers trying to outdo each other with who is more amazing, and me trying not to get into any kind of conversation at all because then I'd end up either stress puking on the table or clutching my water glass so hard it shatters," she said. "Enough listening to Posen drama, lets get sandwiches."

"Yeah, let's do that," Beca said. They went and got some food and sat back at their table outside, and by the time Beca had to go to her afternoon class she was feeling pretty good for the first time in weeks. She shot off a text to Chloe just before class began.

_You and that roommate of yours are pretty cool. _


	3. Chapter 3

Beca's good mood didn't last too long because Saturday rolled around and in a fitting manner, the weather had turned foul alongside her temperament. Her phone lit up with a text from Aubrey. She almost dreaded reading it, she knew there was a full day rehearsal scheduled, and she wasn't in the mood for that.

_Good morning Bellas. Our rehearsal for today has been cancelled. Please make sure you revise your parts prior to Tuesday._

Beca burrowed into her bed further. Aubrey never cancelled practices. She knew that it was because of her. Which was good because if she'd been forced to endure eight hours of Bellas rehearsals, she might have thrown a chair through a window. She texted Aubrey.

_Thank you._

A moment later her phone went off again. This time it was Chloe.

_If you want company today, Bree and I are marathoning The Sing Off and eating crap in our room all day. _

Beca laid there for a few minutes. She knew she wouldn't really want to be around people, but Chloe and Aubrey were different than just people. Chloe would make her forget everything on her mind, and Aubrey would let her know that it was okay to remember the stuff she was upset about, and probably let her cry, which would likely happen at some point during the day.

_I'm in. I'll pick up coffee on the way._

Chloe sent back a smiley emoticon, so Beca sat up and got out of bed. She took a quick shower, and then dumped a bunch of stuff in her bag, including her laptop, and scrawled a note on the whiteboard outside her door in case anyone stopped by during the day looking for her.

_I'm not here, call my cell._

She stopped and grabbed coffee for the three of them – a tall black for Aubrey, and that sugary glorious mess for Chloe, and her own flat white with an extra shot. When she got to Chloe and Aubrey's dorm, she could hear them inside. She tapped on the door lightly, wondering if the girls inside were going to go straight to sympathetic, or just go about the day as if it were normal.

Thankfully, it was normal. Chloe stuck an arm out and hugged her, then Aubrey spotted the coffee and made a beeline for the cups. Beca stepped inside, smiling, and dropped her bag softly to the floor. Chloe had been waiting for Beca to get there before they started the marathon. Beca had never seen the show before and Chloe took great joy in explaining the basics of the show to her.

"Gotta say, Aubrey," Beca said, "I did not pick you for a reality TV junkie."

"Just this one show," she said. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for acapella."

She hit play and they soon got caught up in critiquing the performances. Beca was impressed at how big a deal acapella actually was. Chloe had popcorn ready to go, and they watched a slew of episodes back to back. Beca was having a good time, she managed not to think about her mom for a few hours. But when she saw the clock and it read 11:49, she couldn't squash the semi nauseous feeling that lay in her stomach. Her mother had passed away at 12:36pm.

The next episode Beca didn't even catch what was going on. Her mind was twelve months in the past. She could smell that pungent overpowering hospital scent all over again. Around halfway through the episode Chloe noticed that Beca had her knees pulled up to her chest. She turned the volume down.

"You okay?" she asked. Beca shook her head. She felt sick.

"Beca?" Aubrey asked. "You're pale. Water or air?" Beca tried to stand up. But she could smell antiseptic and bleach and starch, hear the beeping of that godforsaken monitor that signaled the slowing down of her mother's heart and her head was swimming.

"I think I need air," she mumbled.

"Do you want to be alone or do you want us to come with you?" Chloe asked softly. Beca stood and looked around vaguely.

"Will you guys come?" she asked quietly. "I don't really want to be alone." They hurriedly tossed on hoodies and made their way outside. It was cold and blustery, and clouds had rendered it fairly dark for the middle of the day. But it wasn't raining yet. The cold air assaulted Beca's face and she sucked it in greedily, trying to rid herself of the smell of that hospital room. She let the sound of the howling wind fill her ears as she sunk down onto the grass in front of a tree trunk. Chloe and Aubrey sat either side of her. She felt Chloe's hand on her back, but Aubrey was facing her to make sure she was okay. Aubrey noticed that she kept checking her watch.

"What time was it?" Aubrey asked softly, pulling her hoodie around her tighter.

"12:36," she said. She stared at her wrist until the display ticked over, and then she just buried her face in her arms. Chloe just kept her hand on her back, rubbing soft circles on her jacket. Aubrey had stuffed one of her pockets with Kleenex and at the first sign of Beca crying, she pulled one out and offered it to the brunette.

Aubrey then chanced a look at Chloe, who was biting her lip in worry. She looked like she wanted to say something, but Aubrey shook her head. She mouthed 'Just let her cry' to her, and the redhead nodded. They sat there quietly until the rain began to fall on them. Beca moved first, and she pulled Chloe up into a hug. Surprisingly, she turned to Aubrey next and hugged her just the same.

"Um… is there any chance we could just go listen to some music and lay around?" Beca said. "I'd kind of just like to..."

"Of course," Aubrey said. She squeezed Beca's hand, and then leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You're handling this a lot better than I did." Beca managed a half smile, but it didn't quite hit her eyes. They got back to the dorm, and Beca cued up some music on her laptop, starting with the mix she'd made of her mom's favorite songs and they just sat around not talking. It wasn't grand or eloquent, but Beca felt like it was a good way to remember her mom. Eventually she stopped playing music and flicked the show they were watching back on.

They ordered a couple of pizzas partway through the evening, and Beca offered to take the trash downstairs when they were done. After a little while, Aubrey noticed that she still wasn't back yet. Chloe was in the bathroom, so she tugged her coat on and went to look for her, leaving a note on Chloe's desk. She didn't have to go far – the brunette was sitting outside their dorm building, hands shoved in her pockets, just looking out into the sky.

"Hey," Aubrey said softly. "You okay?"

"What?" Beca said. "Oh, uh, yeah. Just taking a minute."

"Sure," Aubrey said. "I'll leave you to it."

"You don't have to go," Beca said. So Aubrey sat next to Beca on the low cement wall, their breath escaping in small, steamy puffs. Neither of them said a word for a little while.

"Mom always liked the cold," Beca said eventually. "It didn't snow that much in Portland, but it did get god damn cold. She said it made her feel alive to have cold air rushing over her face. I bet you it's freezing back home right now."

"When was the last time you were in Portland?" Aubrey asked.

"Summer," Beca said. "I stayed with my aunt Marina so I could graduate and stuff, then I moved here halfway through."

"Were you close with your aunt?"

"Yeah," Beca said. "I miss her. She was a lot younger than mom, she's only thirty two. Mom didn't have any other siblings and her parents died years ago. So it's me and Marina. I'd like to hear her voice, to be honest."

"Have you called her?" Aubrey asked. Beca shook her head, and checked her watch.

"It's only seven in Portland," Aubrey said. "Give her a call. I'm sure she wants to hear from you as much as you want to hear from her."

"I might do that," she said, digging her phone out. "I shouldn't be too long."

"It's cold, though," Aubrey said. She took her coat off and put it around Beca.

"Bree, you'll freeze."

"I'll just go back inside," Aubrey said.

"Thanks," Beca said, "I won't be long." Aubrey went back inside and found Chloe waiting on her bed, looking slightly anxious.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," Aubrey said. "Beca was just having a pensive moment. She's going to call her aunt."

"Marina?" she asked. "That's a good idea. And she's definitely okay?"

"From what I could tell, yes," Aubrey said. "Or at least, as okay as you'd think." Beca returned a short while later, her eyes faintly red again. She didn't talk too much about her call to her aunt, not that the two seniors pressed it at all. They simply changed and got into bed, Chloe and Aubrey sharing Aubrey's bed again, and Beca in Chloe's bed. Aubrey wasn't sure, but it looked like Beca was awake for quite awhile, at least she was still wide awake when Aubrey fell asleep.

Aubrey was typically the first one awake the next morning, only this time she was quickly followed by Beca stirring and sitting up. She blearily looked around, recognized where she was and woke up.

"Hey," she managed. "Thanks for letting me crash again." Aubrey just waved a dismissive hand at her.

"I'm going for a run," Aubrey said, getting up and digging around for some clothes. "If you want to join." Beca made a face and lay back down, giving Aubrey some privacy to change.

"No thanks," she said. "My morning routine is normally caffeine and a hot shower, followed by more caffeine."

"So I'll text you when I'm done. If Chloe's awake, we'll have breakfast," she said. She pulled a light jacket on and a beanie.

"Chloe's awake," Chloe said. "We'll meet you at the normal place in an hour and a half."

"Okay," Aubrey said. She left the room, stretching her upper body as she went.

"Does she seriously do that every morning?" Beca asked.

"Every god damn morning," Chloe said. "Even when it's pelting rain, or snowing."

"That's dedication," Beca said, sitting up and tying her hair into a messy bun.

"Dedication, insanity, whatever," Chloe said.

"Hey," Beca said. "I –uh – already said this to Aubrey, but thanks for yesterday, Chloe. You guys are pulling me through this thing. And I appreciate it."

"Any time," Chloe said. "Stupid question, but are you okay?" Beca shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't know," she said in response. "But you guys helped. A lot. I don't even want to know what I'd be like if it wasn't' for the two of you."

"And you called your aunt last night?" Beca smiled at this.

"Yeah. It was nice to talk to her. I'm hoping to get out there for Thanksgiving," Beca said. "It'd be good to see her, go see Mom. Of course I'll have to swing it past my dad first. But he'd probably be okay with that as long as I was around for Christmas."

"That sounds nice," Chloe said. "And don't forget you're welcome to hang out here whenever you like."

"I will definitely take you up on that," she said. "Kimmy Jin is still kinda hostile. But right now, I gotta go take a shower. I'll meet you guys for coffee?" Chloe nodded and Beca got up. She tossed a hoodie on over her shirt and sweatpants and crammed all her stuff into her bag, waving at Chloe before she left.


	4. Chapter 4

Beca became a regular fixture around Chloe and Aubrey's dorm after that. And when they weren't all together at the dorm, they were normally together at the library, or at the coffee shop, or in the Bellas rehearsal hall. Chloe was happy to see her two best friends getting along, and getting along well. Beca felt almost equally at ease with Aubrey now as she did with Chloe, the three of them forming a tight bond.

Beca gradually began to share with Aubrey the sorts of things she'd been sharing with Chloe, about her mom, about Portland, about her dad. And Aubrey in turn began sharing little bits of her life as well, again, stuff she'd only previously shared with Chloe. The redhead had pointed out to each of them, more than once, that they actually had quite a lot in common if they thought about it. Apart from the obvious things with their mothers, they both had strained relationships with their fathers, tended to keep people at a distance, had a bizarre attachment to caffeine, and had a tendency to be rather blunt.

The first time Aubrey and Beca hung out alone was because Chloe had a study group that switched days. It was actually kind of pleasant. The two of them just ended up studying for awhile, and then Beca asked Aubrey if she thought it would be hard to take on a double major. Beca hadn't declared just yet, and while she thought it would be good to do a music major, she wondered if taking on music and marketing together might be more beneficial in the long run. That had led to a discussion on what they envisioned themselves doing in terms of a career. Beca had never made any secrets about her desire to go into music professionally, but this was the first time she talked at length about the kind of work she wanted to do.

Aubrey had confessed that law hadn't always been her choice, but she actually enjoyed it. She didn't want to defend corporations or the rich and wealthy as was expected of her though, she wanted to work on legislation, or public interest maybe. That was a surprise to Beca, because Aubrey definitely had the drive to be a legal powerhouse, but she didn't want it. When Chloe got home they were still talking, their books long forgotten, which was rare for Aubrey, definitely. Chloe listened in as they kept talking, joining in intermittently, but for the most part just enjoying the fact that her two best friends were having deep and meaningful discussions with each other. She asked Aubrey about it later, and the blonde just shrugged and said that they were friends now, she guessed.

The week before Thanksgiving, Beca had just finalized her plans to fly back to Portland for a few days. She was really looking forward to being back home, but she also realized that she was going to miss Chloe, Aubrey and the rest of the Bellas while she was gone. Chloe had offered to drive her to the airport, which she gratefully accepted, because even though she and her dad were trying to make some real connections, things were still awkward between them. Like, he dropped by the radio station unannounced one afternoon while she and Jesse were stacking CDs. She had given him a quick tour, and he'd seemed relatively interested in it all, but they ran out of things to say and he'd begged off, saying that he had papers to grade.

Jesse had only made the afternoon worse by rambling in that way that she was sure he thought made him endearing, about their aca-children and their inevitable marriage, and Beca couldn't stomach another rant, so she stopped him.

"Jesse," she said. "Look, you're a cool guy. And I'm sure one day you're going to have a bunch of adorably talented aca-babies, but it is definitely not going to be with me."

"You say that now," he said. "But I've seen this movie. You're all prickly, and I'm all charming and in the end – "

"Plot twist, Jesse. I'm all prickly, you're all charming, but even in the end I'm still gay," she said plainly. "No amount of charm is going to change that." He looked slightly stunned for a moment.

"You're gay?" he asked, a little confused.

"Duh," she said. "I would have thought that it was fairly obvious."

"Are you sure?"

"Seriously?" she said. "Is that a serious question you're asking me?"

"But have you kissed a dude? Because otherwise how would you… know?"

"Oh my god. Jesse. Are you gay?"

"No."

"Have you ever kissed a dude? Because, you know, how do you know you're not gay if you've never tried it?" she asked, pointing out the stupidity of his question.

"Sorry," he said. "That was kinda dumb. Um, you just surprised me is all."

"I'm getting that," she said. "It's no big deal. Most people figure it out on their own when they meet me. And I don't mind hanging out with you, but you need to know Jess, all this stuff about aca-children, it's not going to happen." He nodded.

"Okay," he said. "Uh. Sorry. I'll cool it with the aca-children. Though you know that means we're bros now. Wingmen." Beca rolled her eyes.

"Outstanding," she said sarcastically. "I look forward to it."

"So," he said, "What kind of girls are you into? You know, now that I think about it, I don't like the idea of you being my competition. You've got that mysterious, dark thing going on. Chicks would dig that."

"Jesse," she groaned. He held up his hands in surrender.

"I know," he laughed. "Just getting on your case. So you're going to Portland for Thanksgiving?"

"Yeah," she said. "What are you doing?"

"Going home," he said. "Benji is coming with. His folks are in Europe or something, so I invited him home with me. Is it weird that Benji is only like six weeks younger than me but I feel like he's my little brother?"

"No, I know what you mean," Beca said. "He's got that innocent kid thing." At that moment Luke stuck his head out of the booth.

"Which one of you wants to go on a coffee run?" he said.

"Me," Beca said. "I could use a boost myself." She hurriedly left the station and walked over to the nearest coffee place and saw Chloe and Stacie sitting there together. She stopped off for a second.

"Hey," Stacie said. "What's up?"

"Luke requested coffee," Beca said.

"You aren't his indentured slave," Chloe said. "He can get his own coffee."

"Yes, but this had two perks. One, I get coffee for Luke and I get coffee for me in the process. Two, it ended a fairly awkward exchange between me and Jesse."

"Is that the Treble kid who never stops drooling over you?" Stacie asked.

"Well, he's gonna stop now," Beca said. "I just bit the bullet and told him I was gay, since he doesn't seem to have a functioning gaydar, like, at all."

"He didn't know you were gay?" Stacie asked. "I'm pretty sure I had you pegged as a lesbian in ten minutes." Beca just shrugged.

"I don't know man. All I know, that constant talking about us having babies and whatever was really starting to piss me off. So better to tell him up front, except now he has a whole idea about us being each other's wingmen," she said. "I don't even know how we got there."

"That's crazy," Chloe chuckled. "Hey, what are you doing later? Bree and I are going for Chinese food. You too, Stacie."

"I'll be done at the station at six-thirty," Beca said. "Come by and we'll go from there."

"I'm in," Stacie said.

"Awesome," Chloe said.

"I should go. Luke will send the wolf pack out after me," Beca said. "Six thirty?" She picked up coffee for her and Luke, Jesse wasn't much of a coffee drinker, and returned to the station to see out the rest of her shift. Luke left at six, the night shift completely cued up and ready to go, which Beca hated. She would love nothing more than to host a shift, but the damn computers got the privilege. Jesse and Beca locked up at six thirty, and Aubrey, Chloe and Stacie were approaching as they closed the main door.

"Girls night out?" he asked.

"Yeah, just grabbing dinner," Beca said.

"This isn't some weird double date?" he teased. "Which one of them are you keen on?" Beca just punched him in the arm and glared at him.

"Hey man, what's with the violence?" he said.

"Don't even start with me Swanson," she said. "If I'd known you were gonna ride me so hard about this I never would have told you."

"Touchy, are we?" he asked. Beca just rubbed at her face.

"Touchy about what?" Chloe asked.

"Jesse thinks my being gay is quite hilarious," Beca grumbled. "He's barely let up all afternoon." Aubrey raised a challenging eyebrow at him.

"Funny?" she asked.

"It was just a couple of jokes," he mumbled, instantly retreating under Aubrey's stare.

"To you, maybe," she said. "And Beca's got thick skin. But it's not really a joking matter. How would you like it if someone made fun of you constantly about something that you couldn't change?"

"Aubrey," Beca said. "He didn't mean any harm."

"She's right, though," Jesse said. "My bad. I'll try and keep the jokes down. We cool?"

"Yeah, we are," Beca said. "Catch you later, Jesse."

"Enjoy dinner, ladies," he said. He headed off towards his dorm, and the four girls headed in the opposite direction. Beca was lagging a bit, and Aubrey turned to see what was keeping her.

"You okay?" she asked. "Sorry if I was out of line with Jesse. That sort of stuff just really bugs me."

"No, it's fine," Beca said. "I appreciate it. He isn't a bad guy, really. And I think I took him by surprise earlier when I told him. It's probably just his way of coping. I just… didn't expect that someone I see as often as Jesse wouldn't even consider that I was gay. It was weird."

"He just has no gaydar," Aubrey said. "Like Amy. Amy thinks Cynthia Rose is the only queer person in the Bellas. Her count is way off."

"Well, there's me," Beca said. "And Chloe already told me she's bi. And Denise vibes like she's gay."

"And Stacie, from all the stories Chloe and I have heard, is pansexual. She's just into people," Aubrey clarified. "And then there's me."

"And you are..?" Beca asked.

"Still to be defined," Aubrey said. "I know I'm definitely not straight. It's a bit more complicated than I'd like to admit, at my age."

"Any particular reason?" Beca asked. "I mean, you don't have to tell me, if you don't want to." They walked silently for a moment, behind the other girls. Up ahead, Stacie was talking to Chloe.

"Um, is there a thing going on there that we need to know about?" she asked, gesturing back to them.

"I don't know," Chloe said. "They're definitely close now, but god it's hard to tell with Aubrey, you know, what's going on in her head. I'm kinda hoping there is, to be honest. I think, despite the fact they're both stubborn as hell, they'd be good for each other. But it'll have to be something they get to on their own."

"Agreed," Stacie said. "Push either of them and they'll throw up their walls." Back down the street a little, Aubrey was figuring out how to explain it.

"My dad is a hard man," she said. "Don't get me wrong, I love him. But he really didn't know what to do with a girl. He pretty much raised me as a non-sexual being. I couldn't talk about anything personal like that with him, he just didn't know what to do with it. So I never really began to understand sex and sexuality until I got to college."

"That sounds incredibly rough," Beca said.

"Chloe was quite helpful," Aubrey said. "Just imagine someone like me walking in to Chloe as a roommate. It was shocking, but not in a bad way. Anyway, I've slept with a guy, but I was more than a little drunk and I don't actually remember if I enjoyed it a great deal or not. And I've fooled around with a few people, I'm just sort of testing the waters so to speak. Like most people do in their teens. Which makes me a bit behind the times, which is crazy as a college senior."

"Well, Bree, just remember that you don't actually have to be any one thing. And if you're just figuring stuff out, then there's nothing wrong with that," Beca said. "Your life, you get to decide if there's a label for you or not, if you even want one." Aubrey smiled at her.

"Thanks," Aubrey said. "That's actually sort of comforting." They fell into an easy silence, catching up with the other girls at the crosswalk and heading into the restaurant.


	5. Chapter 5

Beca got off the plane in Portland and her eyes scanned the waiting crowd for her aunt. It was kind of useless though, since her aunt was barely taller than she was, and the airport was full of people who also waited until the day before Thanksgiving to fly home. She waited until the crowd thinned out a little and spotted her, the older woman running toward her and throwing her arms around her.

"There she is," Marina said. "Man, I missed you."

"What, you getting soft on me now, Aunt Marina?" she teased.

"Hell yes," she said back. "You are my only niece, don't forget that." The implication was obvious to both of them, because they were the only family that they had, on this side anyway.

"Yeah, I missed you too," Beca said. "Thanks for letting me crash your Thanksgiving."

"I'm glad you wanted to come out," Marina said. "I didn't have much planned, just a couple of people from work coming over, but I still plan on cooking my ass off."

"Nana's pie?"

"Always Nana's pie," Marina said. "Come on, let's get home. It's cold as hell outside, so you might want to dig a jacket out."

They rode back to Marina's house, and just walking into the familiar house was enough to make Beca feel completely at ease. Marina flicked the coffee pot on before she helped Beca bring her bag upstairs.

"I haven't really changed your room since you left," she said. "I was hoping you'd come back and visit."

"I'll be here as often as I can," Beca said. "Feels more like home to me than dad's house." They headed downstairs.

"How is it all going with your dad, anyway?" Beca shrugged.

"He's nice enough," Beca said. "And he's trying, he is. But I still find it really hard to open up to him. Like, he wasn't there for so long, so it feels weird to… I don't know. I guess it's rough trying to share with someone who wasn't interested for so long." Marina poured coffee.

"I can see that," Marina said. "But don't forget, even your mom said he wasn't a bad guy. Just the wrong guy."

"I know," Beca said. "It's just going to take some getting used to. We talked about mom, very briefly."

"Really?"

"It was just before the day I called you. I had a bit of a meltdown," Beca said. "And I could have called you, and I probably should have, but I needed someone to be there, like, right in front of me. And the first time I tried to talk to dad he got all weird when Sheila walked in. So I was getting pretty screwy. Wasn't sleeping, eating, you know."

"Beca Mitchell, so help me god, I will kick your ass six ways from Sunday if you pull that shit and don't call me."

"It's okay," Beca said. "I've got a few friends I can lean on. Chloe and Aubrey really got me through it. I've told you about Chloe before."

"You have," Marina said. "But who's Aubrey?"

"Aubrey is her roommate, and the co-captain of the Bellas. She's actually been really fantastic. Her mom died when she was fourteen, and when I turned up a mess on the doorstep she basically told me it was okay to be a mess, sometimes."

"She sounds like a smart girl," Marina said.

"She's also the one who suggested I call you," Beca said.

"Then I like her," Marina said. "That was a rough day for me, too."

"We hang out a lot, sometimes with our other friend Stacie," Beca said. "It's nice."

"Are they all seniors?"

"No, Stacie's a freshman too. But we're all Bellas," Beca said. "I guess you could say that I enjoy Barden a lot more than I thought I would."

"Good to hear," Marina said. "Even if I do miss you like crazy, Midget."

"Can you not call me that?" Beca groaned. "You're like two inches taller than me."

"Two inches totally counts," Marina teased. "Come on. Once you finish that coffee, we need to start preparing for tomorrow."

"How many people are coming?"

"Four of my work friends," she said. "You've met Alice and Kerry. Then there's Danielle and Miles. Then me and you."

"But let me guess," Beca said. "You're making enough food to last a lifetime."

"I'm eating nothing but turkey for a week," she said triumphantly. "I love Thanksgiving." They spent the evening preparing the food for tomorrow, and grabbing burgers instead of cooking dinner for themselves. After they'd finished the last of their preparations, they made another round of coffee and sank into the couch.

"So," Marina said. "Day after Thanksgiving, I thought we'd drive out and see your mom."

"I'd like that," Beca said. "Do you go out there much?"

"I try to," Marina said. "You know, keep it tidy, bring flowers and whatever." Beca yawned, and Marina took the cup from her.

"Go to bed," she said. "We'll be up early dealing with turkey anyway." She ruffled Beca's hair, causing the girl to roll her eyes, but she got up and headed towards her bedroom anyway.

Thanksgiving was relatively quiet, but Beca enjoyed herself. Marina's friends were a lot like Marina, which meant she got along with them quite well. And they didn't treat her like a kid, even if they did get in on the short jokes fairly quickly. She begged off to her room mid evening, turkey and the couple of glasses of wine she'd had with dinner making her a little tired, but as soon as she flopped down onto her bed, her phone started vibrating.

"Hello?"

"Hey Becs! Happy Thanksgiving!" Chloe said.

"You too," she said. "Have a nice day?"

"Oh yeah," Chloe said. "Aubrey and I have our own tradition. Turkey subs, vodka cran, and ignoring everything. You and Stacie are the only people we've talked to today, apart from my parents."

"Why do you guys hate Thanksgiving so much?" Beca asked, laughing.

"We don't, really. But we like having one day for our tradition. And no way in hell was Aubrey going home, so I've taken to staying. I go home for Christmas though."

"That's actually kind of cute. And I approve of exchanging cranberry sauce for vodka cran. Genius."

"Why thank you," Chloe said. "How's Portland?"

"It's great. We're going out to see mom tomorrow," Beca said. "But it's been awesome hanging out with Marina again."

"Sounds like this is just what you needed," Chloe said.

"It was. Tell Bree I said happy Thanksgiving to her, too. I miss you both."

"Don't forget to let me know if you get delayed or anything," Chloe said. "I'll see you in a couple of days." They ended the call and Beca pulled her headphones toward her. She put them on and lay down on her bed, eventually falling asleep still wearing her jeans and hoodie.

The next morning, she woke up with her headphones half off. She sat up and rubbed the deep red imprint the cord had left on her cheek and shifted uncomfortably. She was aching for a hot shower. At some point it looked like Marina had covered her up with a blanket, but she was still cold. She showered and dressed quickly and made her way downstairs, joining Marina for coffee in silence – neither of them were morning people.

Mid-morning they set off for the cemetery where Beca's mom was buried, still not talking much. It was a cold day, but the sun was out. When they got to the cemetery, they got out of the car and looked in the general direction of where the headstone was.

"How do you wanna do this?" Marina asked. "Do you want me to come with you?" Beca just looked nervous, even though she'd done it before.

"Um, maybe you should go first," Beca said. "I don't really know how long I'm going to take. Lots to tell her."

"Okay, honey. I'll be a couple of minutes, then I'll wait in the car. No rush." Beca waited with her hands shoved in her jacket pockets until Marina came back. The older woman grabbed her hand for a second and Beca made her way toward her mother's grave.

Part of her hated this place. It was almost insulting to her that her mother had been reduced to a simple stone marker and a patch of grass when she had been so vibrant in life. But she also loved this place. Because she knew deep down that her mother was always with her, but being able to sit here and talk to her, it just felt more real to her. She sank to the grass, cold seeping up through her jeans.

"Hey mom," she said. "Sorry it's been so long since I came out here. I guess you could say that I've been busy at school. You'll be pleased to know that I haven't shut myself off, just like I promised you. I, uh, joined an acapella group. I know I told you I didn't figure I'd do much singing again… but these girls got to me I guess. And they're really great girls. A bit unorthodox, some of them, but I like them. They're also really talented. I think you'd really like them. They've really pulled me through this year, since… well." She sighed and shifted.

"It's been hard without you, mom. I still miss you more than I can stand most days. I wouldn't have made it til now without Chloe and Aubrey. Let me tell you," she almost chuckled, "You would not have picked them as the two girls I'd connect with. Or maybe you would have, you always did know what I needed more than I did. They're both captains of the Bellas, that's the acapella group we're in. Anyway, they basically stopped me falling apart. Chloe reminds me a lot of you in a way. She manages to get me to open up without saying anything. And Aubrey lost her mom, too. She helped me realize it was okay to miss you, and okay to have bad days. I really needed that. I honestly thought I was going crazy."

"I'm also trying to fix things with dad," Beca said. "Slowly. It's still a bit awkward, but we're both trying. I know you wanted that. It's just hard because I feel like I barely know him. But you're right, he's not really a bad guy. He's not trying to force anything, which is good, because we both know I'd just shut down at that. I'm even doing pretty well in my classes. So Barden isn't as bad as I thought it would be, it's just… different. Without you. I don't know if I'm ever really going to get used to the idea of you not being here, but that's not a problem, I don't think. Because little things still make me think about you. Like Stacie and Chloe are obsessed with E News, and Jessica's older brother is taking classes at Shenandoah Con and his teacher knows who you are – were – I guess, that Cynthia Rose likes her coffee with that fake creamer that I swear tastes like acid but you loved, and that Aubrey really likes Carole King, almost as much as you did. So these people are good people, you know? And it's not the same as having you, but as long as they're around, I'm going to be okay." She got up and brushed her jeans off.

"I love you mom. I'll try and get out here again soon." She touched the headstone for a moment, and then walked back to the car, where Marina was playing Sam Cooke softly over the stereo.

"You okay kiddo?" she asked. Beca shrugged as she put her seatbelt on.

"I think so," she said. They drove back to Marina's place, singing along with Sam, Marina sharing the same musical gene as her sister and niece.

The remainder of her stay in Portland was uneventful, and Marina dropped her back at the airport three days after Thanksgiving. Just as she was about to go through boarding, Marina pulled her into a hug.

"I love you, kiddo," she said.

"I love you, too," Beca said. "I'll try and get out over spring break maybe?"

"That would be nice," Marina said. "Before you go, though." She pulled a blank disc out of her bag.

"What's that?"

"It's some video I found of you and your mom," Marina said. "It's good. Made me smile. Thought you might like to watch it." Beca stared at it for a second before she took it and stuck it in her messenger bag.

"Thanks," she said. "I'll call you when I'm back in Barden."

"Be safe," Marina said. Beca gave her a last wave and then handed her boarding pass to the attendant at the gate.


	6. Chapter 6

Beca had enjoyed her trip to Portland, but she was also glad to be back in Barden. She spent her first night back at Chloe and Aubrey's catching up on the gossip before passing out in Chloe's bed. The next morning when she got up, Aubrey was still on her morning jog and a note on the desk informed her Chloe had a meeting with a professor. She showered and went back to their dorm to grab her stuff so she could get ready for classes. As she was shoving things unceremoniously in her bag, the disc her aunt had given her fell out. She bit her lip, unsure if she wanted to watch it, but stuck it in her laptop anyway, pulling her headphones on.

When the grainy video came on - it seemed Marina had taken the video on her cell - she could see herself sitting at a piano stool with her mother. The stool at the piano where her mother had taught her to play. Where they'd played and sang their way through years of their lives together. It was just before her mom had started to get sick. She couldn't quite make out what they were saying to each other, but her mom's hands soon hit the piano, Beca's following suit once she recognized the song.

Two things happened while she was watching the video. One, she started crying. She didn't even realize it at first, but it was the combination of remembering how happy she always was sitting next to her mom and singing with her, seeing that her mom looked and sounded so healthy and happy, and of course hating the fact that she was gone. But the tears came anyway, hot and silent and sliding down her cheeks as she watched.

The second thing was that Aubrey came back from her run. Beca hadn't heard the door open, what with the headphones and the crying, but the blonde was right next to her in an instant. She pressed a Kleenex into Beca's hand.

"Bec, what's wrong?" she asked. Beca tugged her headphones down and sniffled, wiping at her face.

"Nothing, it's stupid," she said.

"Beca Mitchell."

"Marina gave me this video before I came home," she said, gesturing to the screen. "It's me and mom singing together. And it made me miss her, and she looks so fucking healthy and it was like, literally a couple of weeks before she got sick, and now I'm crying and god knows why." Aubrey pulled her into a hug, and Beca let her. She was getting better with the whole hugging thing. Chloe was a constant hugger, but Aubrey wasn't really. But neither of them tensed up or pulled back for a few moments.

"It's not stupid," Aubrey said against her hair. "Crying isn't stupid. It's okay, Beca. To miss her and cry."

"Maybe," Beca said. "Aubrey?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you watch the rest with me? If I, uh, watch it alone I might end up a wreck."

"I'll totally watch it with you, if you don't mind the fact that I haven't showered after my run yet," she said. Beca unplugged her headphones and shifted so Aubrey could sit next to her and see the screen. Without warning, Beca leaned her head down onto Aubrey's shoulder as she hit play, and Aubrey was surprised for all of a second before she wrapped an arm around her.

She knew Beca's mom had been a musician, she'd taught at the Conservatorium after all. But she was incredibly talented. It was clear where Beca got her musical talent from. The two of them together were impressive. Beca's mom had a clear soprano that melded perfectly with her daughter's alto, and they performed intuitively, reading invisible signals between each other. Beca kept sniffling a little, but it was with a watery smile as she watched. When the video ended with Marina being busted for videoing them, she closed her laptop but stayed on Aubrey's shoulder.

"Thanks for watching that with me," she said, barely above a whisper.

"It was my pleasure," Aubrey said. "She was amazing, Beca."

"Yeah, she was."

"And you are too. You guys were incredible together."

"Thanks," she said softly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Beca said softly. "It was good to see this. Even though I cried through the whole thing."

"I didn't even know you played the piano," Aubrey said.

"I don't, well, not any more," Beca replied. "I tried to keep playing but every time I sat at the piano after mom died I just ended up crying. But I feel like maybe I should take it up again, for her. Or as a way to remember her."

"Well if you decide you want to do that, you can use the piano in the Bellas hall any time you like." They sat there for a few more minutes.

"I should probably get going, I have a class later," Beca said.

"And I need to take a shower," Aubrey said. "But if you want to talk or anything, give me a call?"

"I will. Thanks." Beca put her laptop away and gathered all her things again. Just before she left the room, she turned and gave Aubrey a small smile that she returned. Her thoughts stayed with the blonde as she walked back to her room, reflecting on the fact that the two of them were getting to be really close. She wouldn't have ever figured on her and Aubrey becoming such good friends, but now she counted her as good a friend as Chloe was, which was saying a lot.

She slid into her intro to marketing class and sat next to Cynthia Rose, who was taking some of the same classes as her. She really should have been paying attention, and the other girl was shooting her looks as if to try and snap her out of the haze she was in, but she just couldn't focus. Because she found that she was still thinking about Aubrey and that confused the life out of her. After the lecture let out, Cynthia Rose pulled at her arm.

"You alright, B?" she said. "You had some serious space cadet issues there."

"Just thinking," Beca replied, shrugging.

"Look," Cynthia Rose said, "You don't have to tell me anything, but if you do want to talk, I got your back." Beca slowed a little. Maybe talking her confusion out would help. And she liked Cynthia Rose a lot.

"Yeah, have you, uh, got time for coffee or something?" Beca said.

"Hell yeah," she replied. "Let's do it." They stopped for coffee and sat outside, an appropriate distance away from anyone who might hear.

"So first," Beca said, "I need to lead by pointing out something fairly obvious. I'm assuming you already knew that I'm gay."

"Of course I knew," Cynthia Rose said. "Who didn't know?"

"Jesse," she replied. "Not until I explicitly told him. He had no idea."

"Are you kidding?" she said. Then she shook her head. "Not the point. Go on."

"And you know that I've been spending a lot of time with Chloe and Aubrey," Beca said. "They helped me out with a seriously bad time I was having earlier."

"Everything okay?" the darker woman said.

"The short version is that my mom died a little over a year ago and I was not handling it at all, and they got me through," Beca said. "And since then, I guess we've been pretty tight."

"So what's got you so strung out?"

"Aubrey," Beca said simply. She waited a beat before continued. "Everyone thinks it's logical for me and Chloe to get together, which I understand. She's beautiful and we flirt but it's nothing, we both know that. But with Aubrey, I don't know, it feels like there's something there that's a bit more intense than what Chloe and I have. And I just spent an entire lecture thinking about her."

"Well, you're both kind of intense people," Cynthia Rose said. At least she wasn't laughing, which is what Beca had expected. "Thinking what, exactly?"

"Just that she's beautiful," Beca started, blushing, "And that she makes me feel really comfortable, even when I'm stressing out or crying about mom. And that today I just spent like twenty five minutes watching this old video my aunt took of me and my mom with her, me crying, her being amazing, and when it was done all I could think was that I really didn't mind the fact that she had her arm around me."

"So you like Aubrey," Cynthia Rose said. "I don't really wanna pry or anything, but is she even into girls? Is that even a possibility?"

"I think it is," Beca said, not wanting to give away too much of what Aubrey told her in private conversation.

"So are you thinking that you might, you know, ask her out or something?"

"Maybe," Beca said. "I don't know. I just don't want to risk fucking up one of the best friendships I've got."

"Yeah, girl, but you didn't hear the way you were just talking about her," Cynthia Rose said. "You were talking about her like you're into her. Like, a lot, though."

"Yeah," the smaller girl said. "I think I do. I know she comes off as really tense and high strung, but it comes from a lot of shit with her family, I guess. She's actually sweet and kind of funny, and lately I just can't really keep from thinking about her. But it makes me nervous, because I'm not really good at the dating thing."

"You have dated before, though?"

"Yeah, CR, I have," she said. "I had a couple of girlfriends in high school, but I don't know… like you said. It's intense with her."

"So think about it a while longer," Cynthia Rose said. "You guys would be cute together, and I can see how you two would make sense. You're kind of similar in some ways, and kind of different in others. Just don't let being afraid being the reason you don't do anything, okay?"

"Deal," Beca said. "Thanks."

"Anytime, B. I told you, I've got your back."

"Hey are you going home for Christmas?"

"Nah. I was home over Thanksgiving, and my folks are going out to my sister's in Michigan so I'll be here. You going to your dad's?"

"I'll have lunch with him and Sheila," Beca said. She'd accepted the invitation the previous day. "But other than that I'm open."

"Stacie, Amy and Ashley should all be around," Cynthia Rose said. "We should totally have a Bellas Christmas. Dinner or something."

"That sounds cool," Beca said. "Let's set it up." They kept chatting until Cynthia Rose had to go to get to her next class. Beca stayed where she was for a while, ordering another coffee and still thinking about Aubrey.

They saw each other a few more times as Christmas approached, and Beca found herself spending more and more time thinking about the blonde after each meeting. Cynthia Rose hadn't told anyone about Beca's feelings for Aubrey, but Beca had used her as a sounding board a few more times, each time the other girl giving her plenty of support. She claimed to have watched Aubrey during their practices and felt like the interest was definitely mutual.

Beca had enlisted Aubrey's willingly offered help with her statistics assignment and they sat over coffee one afternoon as the blonde managed to explain to her in ten minutes what her tutor couldn't explain clearly in three sessions.

"You're a pretty good teacher," Beca said. "I owe you big time. I was totally going to flunk that class otherwise."

"Well, you can call it even since you're driving me and Chloe to the airport when we leave for break," Aubrey said.

"At least let me buy the next round," Beca said.

"Deal," Aubrey said. The conversation moved out of statistics and into more recreational things, Beca telling the blonde about the mixes she was working on. When they separated, Aubrey went back to her dorm, where Chloe was starting to pack for her trip home for Christmas. Aubrey closed the door behind her and sat at her desk, not cracking a book or opening her laptop.

"Okay, Bree," Chloe said after watching her stare blankly at her wall for a full five minutes. "Spill. Whatever is going on in that pretty blonde head of yours, spill it."

"It's probably nothing," Aubrey said.

"Probably nothing, my ass," she said. Aubrey's fingers began fiddling with the end of her ponytail.

"So maybe it's something," she said. "I don't know, Chloe, I could be crazy." Chloe sighed. Aubrey was the most infuriating person to have a conversation with, sometimes. She just waited Aubrey out, knowing she'd say something eventually. It took almost twenty minutes.

"I might have… feelings for someone."

"Really?" Chloe said. "Anyone I know?"

"Yeah," she said softly. "This is where I might be crazy. It's Beca."

"Beca Mitchell?" Aubrey just rolled her eyes. "Seriously, though?"

"You don't sound surprised, Chlo."

"I'm not," Chloe shrugged. "You guys are really tight now. And neither of you really do the close thing, apart from with me but that's different because I didn't give you guys a choice."

"So you don't think I'm crazy?" Aubrey said.

"No. You guys might both be stubborn and unyielding sometimes, but you both have good hearts, you both deserve someone who makes you happy and you both seem to make each other happy. She let down her walls for you, Bree. So no, I don't think you're crazy."

"But would it be weird if we – you know, because we're all such good friends and it might get a bit complicated or whatever."

"Don't worry about me," Chloe said. "I still see plenty of you both, together and separately."

"But what if-"

"Aubrey."

"No, what if-"

"Aubrey!" Chloe said. The blonde covered her face with her hands.

"What if I just imagined everything and she doesn't like me at all?" she managed to say. She felt Chloe's fingers peeling her hands away from her face.

"You, Aubrey Posen, are a catch. You're beautiful and smart, you're a great friend, you care about people, you're driven and funny and a total sweetheart. Trust me, she'd be nuts not to like you. Plus, she's already demonstrated she likes you enough to share her biggest secrets with," Chloe said. "Go for it, or talk to her, or something. The only thing you'll regret is never knowing."

"Maybe I will," Aubrey said. Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out, looking at the screen. "Huh."

"What is it?" Chloe said.

"It's Beca," Aubrey said, reading the text. "She has something she needs to discuss with me, and she says it's important. She wants me to meet her later."

"So tell her you'll be there," Chloe said. "No time like the present." She smiled as the blonde texted back. Hopefully there would be some progress between her friends now.


	7. Chapter 7

Aubrey returned to the coffee shop where she had left Beca only hours ago. The brunette looked distracted, and Aubrey's first concern was that she was upset about something. However, when she approached the younger girl and sat down, she was greeted with a smile, so she discounted that quickly.

"Hey," Beca said. "Thanks for coming. I know I only saw you a couple of hours ago."

"Is everything okay?" Aubrey asked.

"Yeah. I mean, I hope so," Beca said. "Which is very cryptic, so I may as well just dive right in."

"Dive away," Aubrey said, suddenly feeling butterflies in her stomach.

"I'm a little nervous," Beca said. "But hear me out. This year, you've been a pretty incredible friend to me. And I'm so glad that we've become close. You're really important to me, Aubrey, you and Chloe both. But lately I feel like… our friendship has changed a bit. You and I, we're definitely a little different to the way Chloe and I are."

"Changed how?" Aubrey said. She felt her heart rate increase slightly. Beca spoke quickly now, rambling a little.

"Changed as in… I don't know how to put it. Cynthia Rose says we're both really intense people. I think she's right about that. I feel like the air around us has been loaded for a little while, like there's more to it. The time we've spent together on our own… ugh, Aubrey, I suck at trying to explain these things. So, what I'm saying is, I feel like you're more than a friend to me. And at the very least, I want you to be." Aubrey's eyes snapped up to meet her own.

"You want us to be… more than friends?" she managed to say.

"Yes. And I know you're about to go home for Christmas, but I would really like to take you out when you get back. On a date," she said. She waited through a lengthy pause, Aubrey's eyes drifting to a print on the wall. "Aubrey?"

"I can't believe you're saying this to me," she said. Beca immediately thought the worst and her head dropped, a deep blush spreading across her cheeks. Aubrey saw the girl's face fall, and quickly reached out a hand, interlacing it with Beca's on the tabletop. "I can't believe you're saying this to me, because I've been thinking about saying it to you."

Beca's head rose, and a light smile appeared on her face. "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously," she said. "I don't know when it happened, exactly, but I feel the same way. And I'd love to go on a date with you." Her fingers squeezed Beca's, and the brunette was smiling radiantly now.

"Awesome," Beca said. "Um, you get back on the 27th, so is the day after okay?"

"I can't wait," she said. They stayed there for a little longer, talking about inconsequential things, their fingers still entwined on top of the table. Each glance between them, however, now brought light blushes and shy smiles. Time got away from them, and Aubrey said she had to go and finish packing.

"And I guess Chloe probably just started packing," Beca said, pulling the door open for her.

"Of course. She was putting an emergency load of laundry on as I left," Aubrey said rolling her eyes.

"Sounds about right," Beca said. "I'll see you both in the morning, ten-thirty."

"Thanks for driving us both to the airport," Aubrey said. "I know you probably would have preferred sleeping in."

"Returning the favor," Beca said. "It's not a problem." They parted ways and Aubrey returned to her dorm, a smile plastered on her face. Chloe was quick to notice, and stopped her panicked last minute attempt to gather her belongings to talk with her.

"So," she said. "You look pretty pleased with something. Chat with Beca went well?"

"Very well," Aubrey said, blushing. "She asked me on a date." Chloe squealed and hugged her best friend hard.

"Bree, I'm so happy for you guys!" Aubrey sank down onto her bed.

"I can't believe a couple of hours ago I was worried that it was just me with a stupid crush and then she asked me out," Aubrey said. "We're going out after I get back from Raleigh."

"Are you nervous?" she asked.

"Not really," Aubrey said. "I mean, we're already pretty close. And she was very sweet."

"What did she say to you?"

"Just that I was important to her, and that she felt like our friendship was changing to a point where she wanted to be more than friends," Aubrey said. "Then we stayed and talked for a while."

"Well she's got a good few days to plan a great first date," Chloe said. "Though she probably knows you well enough to plan a pretty good one anyway." Aubrey smiled and stood up.

"And now I've got something good to look forward to while I'm home with my brothers and dad," she said. "I gotta finish packing. How close are you to being done?"

"Not even close," Chloe said. "I'm considering a lucky dip pack. Grab whatever's clean and buy anything else I need when I get home."

"Which is the same thing you do every time you go home," Aubrey said. "How do you do that?" Chloe just shrugged and stuck a few more random things in her suitcase. Aubrey turned to her own belongings and finished off her packing, wide smile still on her face.

The next morning, Beca picked Chloe and Aubrey up and drove them to the airport, just as Chloe had done for her a few weeks prior. Chloe's flight left almost an hour before Aubrey's, and the redhead left them at the gate with bone-crushing hugs and promises to call on Christmas Day after the Beale family breakfast. As the two girls waited for Aubrey's flight to begin boarding, they drank coffee and chatted about what they'd be doing with their families for Christmas.

"Kimmy Jin going home for Christmas?" Aubrey asked.

"No," Beca sighed. "I was hoping she would, I might be able to relax for five seconds without wondering if I'd committed some cardinal roommate sin or bursting into flames from her laser death glare."

"Stay in our room," Aubrey said. "Not like we're using it."

"You sure?" Beca said.

"Yeah," Aubrey shrugged. "It's not like you aren't camped out with Chloe and I half the time anyway. Plus, I left you a Christmas present in there." She tugged out her keys and separated the dorm key for Beca.

"You didn't have to get me a present," Beca protested.

"It's just something little," Aubrey said dismissively.

"Thanks," Beca said. "For letting me crash. And the present."

"Maybe wait til you open it before you thank me," the blonde replied. The announcement came over the PA for Aubrey's flight to begin boarding. The senior lingered for a moment, not really wanting to leave Beca, when all that was waiting for her was her father and brothers. But she turned to the brunette anyway.

"I'll see you in a couple of days," Beca said. "Call me if you need to explode about your family."

"Oh, I will," Aubrey said. At the last moment, she pulled Beca into a hug, her arms sliding around her shoulders. She felt the brunette's arms around her waist and they stayed like that for a moment. Aubrey pulled away and adjusted the bag on her shoulder, and smiled at Beca as she walked toward the gate.

"Aubrey," Beca called softly. The blonde turned around. "I might have bribed Chloe into sneaking a present into your bag for me." She gave a little wave and let Aubrey leave.

She returned to her dorm and packed a few things so she wouldn't have to suffer Kimmy Jin for any longer than she had to, and made her way to Aubrey and Chloe's room. She dumped her bag onto the floor next to Chloe's bed and texted Cynthia Rose. The two of them had been tossing around plans for getting together with the other girls for Christmas, leaning toward drinks of some kind. When they finished chatting, she pulled out her laptop and headphones and set up camp on Aubrey's bed.

She had no idea how much time had passed, but it was least a couple of hours before her phone vibrated.

_Just thought you might want to know, I found my present. But I'm going to wait until Christmas to open it, if that's okay with you._

Beca smiled.

_Of course. Don't tell me where mine is til Christmas, I won't be able to resist otherwise._

_Deal. Make yourself at home._

_Don't I always? Talk soon._

She ended up ducking out for some dinner, the weather downright miserable. A thick, pelting rain began to fall as she hurried back with her burger and fries, and she was almost completely soaked when she got back. After ditching her food on Chloe's desk, having shielded it as much as possible with her hoodie, she stripped down and pulled some dry sweats on. She ate at the desk, intermittently toweling her hair dry.

When she was done, she climbed into Aubrey's bed, the chill making her tired. She'd never spent the night in Aubrey's bed before. Chloe's bed she'd slept in plenty of times, but never the blonde's. She mixed for a while longer, until she realized she was spending more time rubbing her eyes than looking at the screen. Shutting off the laptop, she finally laid down. The bed smelled like Aubrey, which Beca decided she rather liked. It was part honeysuckle, part shea butter, and it invaded her senses as she burrowed further into the bed, allowing the scent to pull her into sleep.

The next day was Christmas Eve, and she spent it at her dad's, helping them getting ready for Christmas lunch. Sheila was being polite, and Beca found it relatively easy to return the favor. Aubrey called just after lunch, already stressed out by her brothers and their incessant showboating. They spoke for a while, until Aubrey calmed down, and Beca returned to helping her dad and Sheila in the kitchen.

"Somebody special on the phone?" he said.

"What?" Beca asked.

"You're smiling like it was someone important on the phone," he said. "Is it that Jesse kid I see you with so much?" Beca realized for the first time that she'd never actually told her father she was gay.

"No it wasn't Jesse," she said. "He's a friend. But now that you bring it up, it was someone special on the phone. At least, I hope so. We haven't actually gone on a date yet, but we're going out after Christmas."

"Oh really?" he said.

"Yeah," she said. She sat at the counter. "Do you have a minute?"

"Of course," he replied.

"Do you guys want to talk amongst yourselves?" she offered.

"No, it's fine," Beca said. "I just need to explain something that I probably should have explained a long time ago. The person I was talking to on the phone, well, it's a she. I date girls."

"You're gay?" her father asked. He didn't seem mad or upset. Just a little confused.

"Yeah," she said. "I've been pretty comfortable with it for a few years, but it all sort of happened when I wasn't really talking to you. But we're talking now, and it feels like something you should know."

"Thanks for telling me," he said.

"So, who's the girl?" Sheila said. "The girl on the phone?"

"Uh, her name is Aubrey. Dad, you've met her," she said. She was a little taken aback by how casual Sheila was being.

"The blonde? Law major?" he asked. Beca nodded.

"We've been friends for a while, but there's something more there. She's gone home for Christmas and we're going out when she gets back," she explained.

"That sounds nice," her dad said. "If it goes well you should bring her for dinner sometime." He wandered out of the room for a moment, and Beca noticed Sheila was looking at her.

"What?" Beca said.

"Nothing," Sheila said. She shrugged. "I know we're not close, Beca. But it means a lot to me that you would share something that personal with me."

"Oh," Beca said. "No problem. Um… thanks for being cool with it."

"To be truthful, I kind of suspected it," Sheila said. "Nothing specific. I just didn't want to bring it up, you know? It's your business, I figured you'd say something when you were ready."

"You suspected it?"

"My brother's gay," she said simply. "Peter and Noel have been together for eighteen years. Maybe my gaydar, or whatever you call it, is just finely tuned." Beca was surprised. She'd never really talked much about anything with Sheila, and she felt a little bad about it now.

"Maybe," she said. Her dad reappeared and they finished prepping the meal for the next day. Beca farewelled them before driving back to campus and changing into sweats. She talked briefly with Cynthia Rose about the get together the next night, the plan finally being set as drinks and food in her room with the other Bellas who were in town. Then she texted Aubrey.

_How's the family treating you? In other news, I just came out to my dad and Sheila. _

Her phone rang almost straight away.

"Are you okay?" Aubrey's voice came.

"Yeah," Beca said, falling onto her bed. "It was surprisingly easy. I was talking to you on the phone and dad wondered if I was talking to someone special – his words – and I told him I was. He suspected it was Jesse, but I told him it was you."

"And he was okay with it?"

"Every time I talk to my dad I feel like he's just happy I'm talking to him at all," Beca said. "I hope you don't mind, though, I told him that I'm taking you out when you get back."

"I don't mind."

"And how are the Posens?"

"Ugh," came the seniors' voice. "I'm getting a three layered lecture on how to pick a good law school. Because clearly I'm a moron who hadn't considered the idea until six months before graduation."

"I'm sure they mean well," Beca said, "But it sucks that they make you feel like that, Bree. What school are you leaning toward?"

"Columbia," came the response. "My dad is probably fine with the idea, it's Ivy League, but he can't get a word in edgeways because Scott and Greg are arguing constantly for Harvard or Yale."

"And why Columbia?" Beca asked.

"Well, it's ranked academically behind Yale and Harvard. But I've been doing my own research, you know. Emailed some alum groups and stuff." Beca wasn't surprised in the slightest. "Columbia is in New York, so it has better access to internships and clerkships, which are a huge part in kick-starting a career. And I kind of like the idea of New York. One guy I emailed said he landed in a firm with a Yale grad. The Yale guy said that all he did in grad school was study, so when it came time to fit work into an actual day to day schedule, with stuff like paying bills and grocery shopping and seeing people, he struggled. Because all there is in New Haven is Yale. But the guy I was talking to said that in New York, that bubble isn't there. It's not a college town. It's a big, huge city that you have to learn to balance your life in. And I feel like that's the kind of place I want to be in." Beca smiled to herself. Of course she could see Aubrey in New York.

"So tell them that," Beca said. "And don't forget, they can talk all they want, but this is your decision. You'd be amazing anywhere, especially Columbia."

"Thanks," Aubrey said softly. "I should probably go, I skipped out on post dinner drinks with some family friends to talk."

"Sure," Beca said. "Call me tomorrow, anytime."

"I will," Aubrey said. "And in case you were wondering, your present is in the third drawer on my desk."

"Talk to you tomorrow," Beca said, hanging up. She crawled into bed with her laptop, intent on working on mixes, but instead she just put it down and lay there. She began thinking about where she would take Aubrey on their first date, and ended up falling asleep with a smile on her face.


	8. Chapter 8

_Sorry about the delay, people. I managed to destroy the logic board on my laptop by spilling an almost entirely full coffee on it recently, and I hadn't backed up my fic recently (because I am an idiot). So it took me a little longer than I would like. And for those who are also reading That Thing You Do, that should only be a couple days. :)_

* * *

Beca actually managed to sleep in on Christmas Day, which was a welcome change. She only woke to the soft trilling of her phone with a message from Aubrey.

_Merry Christmas Beca. I love the picture, and the music. Thank you._

She'd found a shot of all of the Bellas, in their uniforms, but they were all relaxed and happy. Benji had taken it, and she knew Aubrey had never seen it but that she'd definitely love it. The music she'd passed on were mixes that she had created that were probably more than a little subconsciously about the blonde. Sitting up, she let her eyes fall to Aubrey's desk.

Opening the drawer, she found a box wrapped with a silver bow. She opened it and found a photo in a silver frame. The photo made her eyes tear up and she lifted it out of the tissue paper gently. She didn't know how the blonde had managed it, but she'd somehow taken a photo off of the video they'd watched together of her and her mom. They were side by side and singing, eyes on each other, the happiness on both of their faces undeniable. Beca touched the glass with a fingertip, and dialed Aubrey's cell straight away.

"Hello?" came the senior's voice.

"Bree, that picture," she said. "I can't even… I mean, thank you. How did you even get that? I love it."

"I asked Marina for a copy of the video," Aubrey's voice replied. "I Facebooked her. And I know someone who restores photos, so they were able to fix the color up, get rid of the graininess."

"Aubrey. This means a lot to me," Beca said quietly. "It's probably the best present I've ever gotten."

"I'm glad you like it," she said.

"I really can't wait to see you," the younger girl said.

"Me too. Tell your dad and Sheila I said Merry Christmas."

"I will. I'll see you when your plane gets in," Beca said. She got up and took a long, hot shower, making the most of the fact that campus was almost completely deserted, meaning nobody would care if she used a ton of hot water. Then she packed a few things into her bag and made her way to her dad's house.

The house was warm, which was a blessing, because it was downright freezing outside. Beca hugged her dad and Sheila in turn and then took her coat off and made her way into the kitchen where they were putting the finishing touches on the food. She set the table as they began bringing the food in.

"Dude, did you guys cook enough? I mean, I'm pretty sure you could feed an army on that," Beca said.

"I only know how to cook for big groups," Sheila said. "My mother used to recruit me and my sister for cooking, and there was never any less than nine of us at Christmas Lunch. So I end up cooking way too much but we eat leftovers for a week."

"Leftovers are the best part," her dad said. "Nothing like turkey sandwiches with extra gravy. And pudding. You should take some with you, save you having to find the few places that are open the next couple days."

"That'd be great," Beca said. "I'm crashing in Aubrey and Chloe's room, they have a little fridge in there, and a microwave."

"Not staying in your room?"

"My roommate is on campus over the holidays," Beca said. "She's kinda hostile."

"Kimmy Jin, right?" her dad asked. "She didn't seem overly friendly when I met her, if I recall."

"I've tried, she's just not that interested," Beca shrugged. "It's okay. I spend most of my time with Chloe and Bree, or Stacie and Cynthia Rose." They sat down to a full table of food, and Beca's father gave a short blessing before they began to eat.

Beca actually found herself having a good time. After they ate, they exchanged gifts and Beca's dad even poured her some wine as they let the food settle. Her dad drove her back to campus, promising to drop her car off the next day instead of having her drive even a little under the influence. She called her Aunt Marina, then Chloe, and then headed to Stacie's dorm common room for the arranged Bellas Booze-a-thon, as Amy had christened it.

It was good to catch up with the girls outside of Bellas, and she made a note to try and do it more often. She wasn't drinking nearly as much as Stacie and Amy though, more observing their antics with mild amusement.

Sometime around midnight, she was trying to locate some dip for the chips, and Cynthia Rose pulled her aside. She hadn't told the other girl about the development between her and Aubrey yet, but had indicated that she wanted to catch up with her and fill her in.

"So," Cynthia Rose said. "Any news for me?"

"Yeah," Beca said. She glanced around. She wasn't really aiming to hide what might be going on between them, but having Amy be one of the first people to find out before it had even begun would be interesting to say the least. "I – uh – asked her on a date. She seemed really into it, so we're going out the day after she gets back."

"That's some good news, B," she said. "I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, man," she said. "I think I've got a pretty good date planned, too, if everything comes together."

"So, you better let me know how that goes," she said. "I'm invested now."

"Invested in what?" Stacie said, coming up with a beer in each hand for them.

"New mix," Cynthia Rose said expertly. "She's been telling me about it for a week, and I just gotta hear it."

"I think we could all do with hearing some more of your work," Stacie said.

"It's almost done, I swear," she said, shooting a grateful look at Cynthia Rose. They both took the beers and headed back to the couches were Ashley was laughing outrageously at something Amy was saying. They ended the night spread all over Stacie's dorm room in a nest of blankets and pillows, thought it was closer to morning by the time they all settled down.

They all woke late the next day, in varying stages of hangover. After showers and large doses of aspirin they ate breakfast together and parted ways. Beca went to go tidy Chloe and Aubrey's room – not that she'd trashed it, it was just that her things were starting to spread across the room. After that, she fielded a call from Jesse who wanted to catch up when they got back and mentioned the possibility of a New Years party, which Beca said she couldn't handle talking about until she was done dealing with her current hangover.

She was working on mixes when her dad and Sheila dropped by to return her car, both of them coming so her dad didn't have to take a cab back. She showed them what she was working on, and they both seemed genuinely interested and impressed. After they left she ate some leftover Christmas food and texted Aubrey to confirm that her flight details hadn't been changed. The blonde had called her and they chatted for awhile about nothing in particular, but Beca could feel the smile on her face after she hung up.

The next day, Beca was perched on a railing in the arrivals lounge that any normal sized person would have problems staying put on, but her tiny frame handled well. She saw the blonde hair she was looking for coming through the gate and grinned. Aubrey's eyes scanned the room and landed on her, her own smile matching Beca's. Beca made her way toward her, hands shoved into her pockets. When she reached the blonde, she wrapped her arms around her.

"Welcome back," she said.

"It's good to be back," she said. "Thanks for picking me up."

"My pleasure," she said. "Was the flight okay?" She went to take the handle of Aubrey's bag.

"Not too bad," Aubrey said, smacking her hand away. Beca shot her a look and took the handle anyway, rolling it behind her. Aubrey smiled a little to herself at Beca's chivalry.

"How did you end up faring in the great law school debate?" Beca asked.

"I'm pretty sure I won," Aubrey said. "I was talking to my dad without the boys, and I explained my reasoning. He said it was solid logic, so Columbia would be a great choice. I'm not dumb though, I'm still applying everywhere."

"Columbia would be lucky to have you," Beca said. "So would Harvard or Yale, for that matter. I'm just glad your dad supports your decision."

They stopped for burgers on the way back to Barden, and Beca mentioned that Jesse was thinking about a New Years party. Aubrey said Chloe had mentioned something similar, so it might make sense just to throw one big party and invite everyone. The brunette was glad that even with their date pending for the following day, nothing had gotten tense or awkward between them, in fact, things were as easy as they ever were. Aubrey invited her to crash in Chloe's bed for the night, but Beca declined. She needed clean clothes and she also wanted to finish organizing their date for the next day. Aubrey didn't mind, and Beca promised to call or text with the details for the next day.

She spent a lot of the next day acquiring a few of the items she needed, Cynthia Rose helping her set a few things up, and asking her father how bad it might hypothetically be if one was caught on the rooftop of a closed faculty building during Christmas break. He began to ask questions but changed his mind as long as she swore that she left the building looking as if she'd never been there. Beca acquiesced to the promise.

She had texted Aubrey to tell her to be ready at six thirty and wear something warm, and when she knocked on Aubrey's door she found the blonde ready to go in a warm jacket and a scarf. Beca herself had also donned a thick jacket and a knitted beanie. Aubrey quirked an eyebrow when she saw it.

"Cute beanie," she said.

"I know," Beca said cockily. "Seriously, it might get cold, though. You gonna be warm enough?"

"I don't really feel the cold quite so much," Aubrey said.

"Okay then," Beca said. "You do look beautiful, by the way. Are you ready to go?" Aubrey nodded and blushed a little at the compliment. She followed Beca, giving up on asking where they were going when it became clear that the brunette wasn't going to answer.

"Now I know this looks suspicious," Beca said as they approached the English building, "but I have a very loose understanding that what we're doing isn't exactly against the rules."

"Why does that mildly worry me?" Aubrey asked.

"I swear it's okay," Beca said. "I just wanted somewhere… perfect for what I wanted." She used the janitor's door – one of her tasks earlier that day was opening a window so she could climb in and unlock it – and took Aubrey to the stairwell to the roof.

Aubrey was impressed. She didn't know exactly how Beca had managed it, but one end of the roof, the end that overlooked the athletics fields, was strung with softly twinkling lights. She could see what looked like a patio swing absolutely drowning in blankets and a picnic basket.

"Wow, Beca," she said. "How did you –"

"My charming nature and bribery," Beca said. "I wanted somewhere quiet. Because I heard it, all those times you said that everywhere on campus was too noisy for you to think straight, even the library."

"So you thought you'd rig up the rooftop with lights and a romantic picnic?" Aubrey said. Beca shrugged.

"If it's too quiet, I brought some music as well," Beca said. "I just want to spend some time alone with you, somewhere we can pretend that Barden, in all of its scholarly glory, doesn't matter."

"I love it," the blonde responded. "It's perfect." They went and got themselves comfortable on the patio swing, burying themselves under all the blankets until the winter chill was no longer noticeable. Then they ate the picnic that Beca had prepared ahead of time together, talking quietly. After they'd finished eating, Beca put some music on quietly and they swung back and forth in the swing, looking out over the dark and quiet far side of campus.

Aubrey found herself reaching out and taking Beca's hand in her own before long, the brunette's cold fingers curling against her own. They were barely even talking any more, just sitting together. As if some force were drawing them closer together, their bodies inched closer until Aubrey hooked a leg over Beca's lap. Beca looked up at the blonde, not able to tell if the pink of her cheeks was from the cold or their proximity to one another.

"You're not too cold?" she asked softly, pulling the blankets tighter around them. Aubrey just shook her head.

"Not even a little," she said. "Beca, this has been an almost perfect first date."

"Almost?" Beca asked. Aubrey's blush deepened and she bit her lip. Her hand found the side of Beca's face, their eyes locking before she gently brought their mouths together.

Despite the cold, Beca's lips were warm against hers. The younger girl pulled back for a split second before leaning in again. This time it was longer, Beca's tongue pushing at her lower lip until Aubrey allowed it to slide past. As the kiss deepened, she felt Beca's hand on the back of her neck and leaned a little further into her. Her own hand slid down to the front of Beca's jacket, grabbing the collar softly.

Beca was enjoying the kiss, a lot. She and Aubrey had talked about the sorts of experiences they'd had up until this point, and Aubrey had confessed that a lot of her kisses were drunken fumblings or awkward mistakes. It seemed a shame, because the senior was definitely a good kisser. She didn't want to stop kissing her, frankly, but knew that if they didn't keep it fairly tame it would end up being something neither of them were ready for so early in their possible relationship.

She pulled back, leaving a last soft kiss on Aubrey's lips. The blonde's fingers brushed the underside of her jaw softly, and the smile on her face was almost shy now. They didn't say anything, words were completely unnecessary, just curled up against each other again and looked back out into the dark, not feeling the cold at all.

Time passed, neither of them realizing just how much until Beca glanced at her watch and saw that it was almost midnight.

"Crap," she said. "Bree, it's almost midnight."

"No way," the blonde said. Beca held up her watch. "It does not feel like we were here that long."

"I know," Beca agreed. "Let me walk you back to your room."

"What about all this stuff?" she replied, gesturing around at their surroundings.

"That's tomorrow's problem," she said. "I'll have it all taken care of by the time we have to leave to go get Chloe from the airport."

"Even if I suggest that we leave early so we can grab lunch somewhere?" Aubrey asked. Beca kissed her lips softly.

"Yeah, even then," she said. "I'll call you when I'm done." They got up and Beca made sure everything was unplugged and okay to leave overnight. Then they walked hand in hand back to Aubrey's dorm, where they shared a goodnight kiss before Beca headed back to her own dorm. Aubrey went straight inside, smile plastered on her face and even though it was late, she pulled her cellphone out. There were four texts from Chloe on her phone, all increasingly curious about how the date was going. The last one was just a row of question marks and exclamation marks. She tapped out a reply.

_Best date I've ever been on. Tell you more tomorrow._


End file.
